1. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's spending commitments for the Rhondda valley in 2020? OAQ55046

Our draft budget delivers on our promises to the people of Wales, including in the Rhondda valley. We are investing £284 million across Rhondda Cynon Taf through our band B twenty-first century schools programme; £2.7 million in expanding Welsh-medium childcare, and the new rail franchise is delivering enhanced services. 

Thank you for that answer, Minister. Indeed, it's rail and other public transport that I wanted to talk about. And I do hope that Transport for Wales will make it a consistent priority to improve the services, both the extent of them and the facilities on them, so that the Valleys, and their wonderful potential of highly skilled people, are able to access well-paid jobs, and, also, that the foundation economy within the Valleys really is expressed to its fullest, as we've had some good news there in the recent past. But, traditionally, infrastructure spending has just not been high enough in places like the Rhondda Valleys. 

I completely agree with David Melding that rail lines, particularly into Cardiff, but also elsewhere from the Valleys, are absolutely crucial to opening up people's prospects for employment. And that's why we're investing £738 million to transform the Valleys lines to Trehebert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Coryton, electrifying 172 kilometres of track, and upgrading infrastructure to enable improved journey times and more trains every hour, and to provide a metro-style service by December 2020. But, in the meantime, from 15 December, Transport for Wales increased capacity for thousands of extra rail commuters a week, whilst introducing additional trains right across the Wales and Borders rail network, and that represents an increase of 10 per cent capacity for service users. So, I think a good start, but, certainly, lots of ambition and lots more to do. 

As this Senedd knows, I'm a big champion of the Rhondda tunnel project. I'm also a member of the society that is seeking to reopen this engineering marvel. I'm supportive because the potential for the Rhondda and Afan Valleys is huge if the project can be brought to fruition. If it could be linked with leisure activities, such as the excellent mountain biking and road biking that Rhondda and Afan have to offer, not to mention the prospect of a zip wire attraction nearby in Rhigos, the potential for attracting visitors and boosting the local economy is vast.

Unfortunately, we've got the same stumbling block in place as we had when I first began raising this project many, many years ago, and that's the question of ownership. The people driving the project are crying out for the Welsh Government and/or Rhondda Cynon Taf council to step up and take ownership of this asset on behalf of the people, so that it can progress to the next stage of development—the grant-giving process. Without the issue of ownership resolved, applying for those grants can't really happen. So, the estimated cost implications of taking ownership of the tunnel in its current state is next to nothing. In fact, it comes with an offer, a one-off offer, of a £60,000 payment from the current owners, Highways England.

So, can you therefore tell us whether or not there is a financial reason for the Welsh Government not taking ownership of the Rhondda tunnel?

Welsh Government shares your enthusiasm for the Rhondda tunnel, and support for the society. My husband's a Tynewydd boy, and we've got family in Blaencwm, so I very much look forward to one day being able to potentially cycle through the Rhondda tunnel. So, you certainly have my support, and the society has my support. I do know that there are discussions, as you say, underway with Highways England, to better understand the asset that we would be taking control of, because, clearly, some funding does need to come with that, and those discussions as yet are ongoing. I believe it's my colleague Lee Waters who leads on that, and I'll be sure that we do provide you with the very latest on that.FootnoteLink 

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